The Rams have had a tough go at it from the past three seasons but with new head coach Steve Spagnuolo coming over from the Giants they look to turn things around in 2009. Reports from the Rams camp is that the team is having on of it’s finest offseasons in a very long time as the players are enjoying being on the field with their new coaching staff.

No doubt coach Spagnuolo should help the pass rush on defense almost instantly but can he make St. Louis a competitor for the Western Division Title in 2009?

Below are three sections of interest that are worth paying attention to for fantasy owners coming into the season for this team. First we have listed our fantasy players which we believe are worth paying attention too, for fantasy this season. Next is strength of schedule against the run, pass and points against. Lastly we have a few games selected that will be key in telling how this team will preform for the 2009 season.

When I looked at the Rams schedule I was happy to see they have a strong schedule to pass against as they will need it with a very young receiving core. Unfortunately for this group they have already been plagued by injury after one preseason game as Donnie Avery will miss all of camp with a bad foot and Bulger will miss two weeks with a fractured pinkie.

In the running game I was disappointed to see that Steven Jackson will have the 7th hardest schedule to run against this season. He is the one great skill position player they have on offense and he’s not going to have an easy time running against teams like the Vikings, Redskins, Titans and Bears. To make things even worse three of those teams mentioned a second ago will be road games.

Games of Interest

Four of the first six games are on the road: The Rams rebuilt offensive line will not get any favors at the start of the season as they will play four of their first 6 games on the road. Unfortunately they won’t get any favors in their first two home games as they play the Packers and Vikings and both of those teams are expected to make playoff runs this season.

To survive the first two months it is going to take this new look team coming together and playing out of their collective minds as it’s usually hard for a team with so much change, to play effective early on.

2009 Football Projection

While I do believe this team will struggle in the first half of the season their second half should show hope for the future. By mid season the offensive line should be ready to start a promising string of solid play for years to come as they are a talented bunch of guys. This strong production will in turn greatly help Jackson and Bulger as they’ve been missing a reliable line for sometime now.

Next season the offensive line, defense and receivers should be ready to preform at a consistent level but this year they will go through growing pains. Look for the Rams to be a competitor for the Western Title in 2010.